law enforcement

FN America, LLC is pleased to announce the release of the FN 509 MRD pistol, an optics-ready duty pistol designed specifically for agencies considering miniature red dot optic-equipped pistols for their officers. The FN 509 MRD pistol features the company’s patent-pending FN Low-Profile Optics-Mounting System, first introduced on the FN 509 Tactical. The optics-mounting system can accept more than ten commercially available miniature red dot optics, including the duty-grade Trijicon RMR, Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, and the recently released Aimpoint ACRO P-1.

The 509 MRD is a striker fired 9mm pistol with internal passive safeties and no external manual safety.

Product Specifications

The optics mount accepts the majority of MRD’s on the market with no need to direct mill the slide, allowing for a low-profile mount and co-witness with iron sights. The slide cap, for use when not shooting with an optic, has raised sight wings that protect iron sight alignment if the pistol is dropped or jostled, and provides a textured ramp for racking the slide against a belt loop, pant pocket or boot.

The FN 509 MRD joins the FN 509 law enforcement-specific line-up alongside the new Training and Simunition pistols released last year. Agencies interested in the FN 509 MRD should contact le@fnamerica.com for a price quote.

FBI Contract Awarded to Winchester

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has completed an extensive evaluation process and Winchester has been chosen as its primary source for .40 S&W pistol ammunition. This includes a bonded jacketed hollow point (JHP) service cartridge as well as full metal jacket (FMJ) and frangible training loads. Winchester has been supplying the FBI with service and training ammunition for many years and is honored to be awarded the most recent contract and continue to support our nation’s premier law enforcement agency.

The 180 gr. bonded jacketed hollow point (JHP) cartridge selected by the FBI is designed with patented technology that utilizes a reverse-jacketed, bonded bullet that can penetrate a wide variety of intermediate barriers while maintaining very consistent target penetration and reliable expansion. The nickel-plated cartridge prevents corrosion and ensures smooth feeding and extraction. Flash suppressed powder is used in this cartridge to maintain an agent’s night vision and meet the FBI’s stringent darkened range evaluation.

“The FBI uses one of the most rigorous ammunition tests ever developed and we are very proud that Winchester has been identified as having the best product performance.” said Matt Campbell, vice president of marketing and sales for Winchester.

Agency Transitions from SIG P226 to Striker-Fired P320

SIG SAUER, Inc. is proud to announce the selection of the striker-fired P320 as the sidearm of choice for the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP).

The NDHP was organized in 1935 with just five patrolmen. Their duty was to enforce state laws pertaining to the protection and use of highways in North Dakota, the 19th largest state with the highest number of roads per capita.

Today, the NDHP boasts over 150 sworn officers who are assigned a wide array of tasks, ranging from driver examinations to protecting the northern border. Before selecting the SIG P320 in 9mm, the NDHP utilized P226 pistols chambered in .357 SIG.

“The North Dakota Highway Patrol looks forward to the transition to the SIG SAUER P320,” said Captain Thomas Iverson. “After a thorough testing process, we are confident the new weapon will serve our agency well.”

Since its introduction in January 2014, the revolutionary P320 has gained tremendous momentum in the firearm world. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army selected a variant of the P320 as its next service pistol. With unprecedented modularity and a clean, crisp trigger pull, the P320 sets a new standard for striker-fired performance. The serialized trigger group is interchangeable, allowing the shooter to transform the size and caliber of the pistol. Full size, Carry, Compact and Subcompact frames are available. Grip frames are further divided into small, medium and large to accommodate any hand size.

“From scorching summers to brutal winters, the North Dakota Highway Patrol works in some of the country’s most extreme weather. We are honored that the agency continues to trust the reliability of the SIG SAUER firearms in this harsh environment,” said Tom Jankiewicz, Executive Vice President, Law Enforcement Sales. “We have a long history of providing only the best firearms for law enforcement use, and we are humbled that officers trust their lives to our products.”

The tragic war on police continued today after an incident in Michigan in which a criminal being led to jail stole a firearm from a deputy and used it to kill two law enforcement officers and wound a third.

Then, like clockwork, the war on guns continued as a former child star took to social media with a profanity-laced tirade. Not tirades against criminal behavior. Not tirades against killing police. Tirades against the NRA. It is disturbing to think that someone could have such a sick, depraved mind that they could not only make such an absurd leap, but do so while someone’s family member has just been viciously murdered.

It is apparently the National Rifle Association’s fault that this bad guy broke the law, got arrested, was going to jail, and – on his way there – stole a gun from a deputy and executed a deadly attack on law enforcement officers. Aside from biased media and the rabidly anti-gun politicians telling them that it is so, it is unclear how someone could come to the conclusion that the NRA is some big, bad boogeyman who can posses evil people to carry out evil acts. As the “I am the NRA…” bumper stickers indicate, the NRA – or, the “gun lobby,” as the MSM is fond of calling Second Amendment supporters – is made up of its members. You, me, your hunting and shooting buddies. So, by extension, Wil’s vulgar rant is against… you. This is your fault.

In part, the letter specifies “that a copy of all applications to make or transfer a firearm, and the responsible person questionnaire, if applicable, be forwarded to the [CLEO] of the locality in which the applicant, transferee or responsible person is located (“CLEO notification”)” and that the ruling “eliminates the requirement that an applicant obtain a certification signed by the CLEO before the transfer or making of an NFA firearm may be approved.“

The letter goes on to explain that there is no action required by the CLEO upon receipt (or lack thereof) of the paperwork – to include even confirming receipt of the documents. Further, the letter says that it is up to each CLEO to determine how they dispose of or retain (and whether or not they do either).

Of immediate concern are several potential issues regarding this lackadaisical hands-off approach to record keeping and privacy mandates. One concern would be with how an applicant would prove that they met the new CLEO notification requirement if there is no acknowledgment of receipt by the CLEO, and what future repercussions might be. Application denials? Revocation of approved applications with forced surrender of the firearms? The ATF has already proven that they are not above such tactics in the recent Form 1 Machine Gun debacles, which are still in litigation. Or worse?

The second concern would be how the CLEOs are protecting applicants sensitive information that is contained in the notification paperwork. As the $200 cost associated with making or transferring NFA firearms ($5 for transferring AOWs) is not a fee or a price for goods or services sold but, rather, the tax paid for making or transferring the item, the application could well be considered a tax document. This document details the what firearms are being made or transferred, at which physical address, and – for many applicants – their home address, photograph, fingerprints, signature, and other sensitive information. This information could potentially be problematic if it fell into the wrong hands, which is not outside the realm of possibilities when the CLEO is able to simply toss your notification paperwork into the trash bin for dumpster divers to find or leave it laying around on a desk at the PD for petty crooks to have a look at as they are brought through.

As if identity theft wasn’t enough of an issue, without any mandated safeguards on how this information is to be protected, consider the possibility of a motivated criminal coming to Joe Gunguy’s house at 123 Anystreet Lane to steal the expensive 7.5″ Noveske 5.56 AR-15 pattern rifle to use on the streets. If this firearm is so much more dangerous than an off-the-shelf firearm that it requires owners to to register them and pay an extra $200 tax on them and notify the government when we travel with them, does it make sense for the CLEOs to treat the information about those weapons so recklessly? Or is this just another spotlight on the absurdity of the NFA in general?

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, is once again offering its resources in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to help bring criminals to justice in a pair of firearms thefts. NSSF has offered a reward of up to $5,000 – matching the reward offered by BATFE – for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the theft of firearms in New York and South Carolina.

The first theft involved the theft of 10 firearms during a November 1, 2012, burglary at the Guns and Gold Trading Post in North Charleston, SC. According to the ATF release, three individuals crashed their vehicle through the storefront before absconding with the firearms.

The second, presumably unrelated, incident occurred on November 24, when thieves made off with 62 firearms from Tom’s Guns and Ammo in Sodus, NY. The ATF release may be found here.

ATF and local law enforcement are investigating the thefts in both cases and are seeking information from the public that would lead to the resolution of these investigations.

The matching reward payment by NSSF will be granted following payment of the initial ATF reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crime.

Any information regarding this burglary should be reported to the ATF hotline at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867). The ATF hotline is toll-free, and all information will be treated confidentially. Callers will remain anonymous upon request.

About NSSFThe National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 7,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.